Recent Articles from Sydney Lake
Loudoun County allocates additional $4.3M to small business grants
The Loudoun County Board of Supervisors has approved an additional $4.3 million in federal CARES Act funding to go to its COVID-19 Business Interruption Fund, which supports eligible small businesses impacted by the coronavirus with $5,000 grants. During the first three rounds of funding, Loudoun County disbursed $7.1 million to more than 1,000 businesses. “Even […]
Puritan Cleaners acquires HandCraft Cleaners
Richmond-based dry-cleaning business Puritan Cleaners has acquired HandCraft Cleaners, another Richmond-based, family-owned dry-cleaning company, the businesses announced Thursday. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. “We are extremely pleased to welcome HandCraft Cleaners’ customers to the Puritan Cleaners family and are honored to have the opportunity to continue to provide them with[...]
Va. jobless claims during pandemic exceed Great Recession
While Virginia saw a slight decrease in the number of initial jobless claims last week, the Virginia Employment Commission reported Thursday that the total number of initial claims filed since the beginning of the pandemic is greater than the combined totals filed during the 2007-09 Great Recession and the economic recession in 2001. For the […]
Md.-based HVAC company to acquire two Richmond firms
Columbia, Maryland-based HVAC equipment manufacturer’s representative Havtech announced Thursday it will acquire Richmond-based companies Air Conditioning Equipment Sales Inc. (ACES) and Mechanical Systems Testing & Balancing Inc. (MSTB). Terms of the transactions were not disclosed. Founded in 1971, ACES is an HVAC manufacturer’s representative for the Central Virginia, Tidewater [...]
Michael Milken joins Focused Ultrasound Foundation board
Michael Milken, who was pardoned by President Donald Trump in February over felony charges for securities fraud, has joined the Charlottesville-based Focused Ultrasound Foundation’s board, the organization announced Thursday. Milken (often referred to as the “junk bond king”) is credited with being part of the development of high-yield bonds and was indicted in 1989 for […]
Portsmouth casino to solicit minority ownership
Portsmouth’s casino development partner, Rush Street Gaming, announced Thursday that it will offer 5% or $5 million ownership (whichever is greater) of the proposed $300 million Rivers Casino Portsmouth to a local minority-owned business or private investor who is a person of color. “Rush Street has a track record of including minority participation in their […]
Va. hotel revenues continued to improve last week
Virginia hotel revenues continued to improve last week, according to data released Wednesday by STR Inc., a CoStar Group division that provides weekly market data on the U.S. hospitality industry. For the week of Aug. 23 through Aug. 29, hotel revenues decreased by 38% and rooms sold declined by 27% compared to the same week […]
Fed says Fifth District economy continues to improve, but activity remains low
The economy of the Fifth District of the Federal Reserve (which includes Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, West Virginia and Maryland) has continued to improve in recent weeks, but activity has remained below pre-pandemic levels in most industries, according to the latest edition of the Federal Reserve’s Beige Book, released Wednesday. The Beige Book is published […]
ABC reports record $1.2B in FY 2020 revenue
The Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority (ABC) broke its gross revenue record again during fiscal year 2020, reporting $1.2 billion in gross revenue, the ABC announced Wednesday. Last year, the state agency surpassed $1 billion in revenue for the first time. ABC’s profits of $545.3 million (an increase of $45.8 million over last year) will […]
Arlington, Chesterfield named top digital counties in U.S.
Chesterfield and Arlington counties (along with three California localities) tied for the top spot on the Center for Digital Government (CDG) and the National Association of Counties (NACo)’s 18th annual Digital Counties Survey, which was released Tuesday. The survey identifies the best technology practices among U.S. county governments by evaluating initiatives that streamline delivery of [&hel[...]